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There's no question that fashion is in the throes of significant change.
Consumers accustomed to the immediate thrill of fast fashion are putting increasing demands on designers, as is a more itinerant clientele that flits between hemispheres, rendering the seasonal wardrobe growingly obsolete.
The pressure of delivering desirable, fresh product up to eight times a year has, in some cases, proved overwhelming for designers – see Raf Simons, who left his post at Dior following three and a half years of an exacting schedule of collections, pre-collections, resort, couture, etc.
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler; Raf Simons; Rihanna in her Puma wares.
Others have responded with action, pulling their presentations into a timeline that better suits their own production schedules.
In December of last year, New York design duo Proenza Schouler announced that the brand would not release any information or imagery from their Pre Fall 2016 collection until it was available in stores this April.
"Obviously the system doesn't make so much sense anymore," designer Jack McCollough told WWD. "It makes sense to release a collection closer to when you can buy it. It’s as simple as that.”
Tom Ford, who is notorious for pioneering old-school fashion values of extravagance and exclusivity, announced two weeks before his scheduled NYFW presentation that he would be forfeiting the standard show season in favour of a September presentation at a time when the collection would be ready to buy.
"Our customers today want a collection that is immediately available," Ford said. "Fashion shows and the traditional fashion calendar, as we know them, no longer work in the way that they once did."
Tom Ford AW15; Tom Ford at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards.
This, following the game-changing decision from Burberry to combine its women's and men's shows into two seasonless collections, presented twice a year when they are able to be bought online instantly, shows a growing trend toward see-now-buy-now wearability.
Models on the Burberry menswear Fall 2016 runway.
But, even after a designer manages to adhere to a schedule that no longer speaks to technology, delivery demands and market needs, there's the heft of superstar musicians-turned-designers to upset the fashion week schedule.
Kanye West's last-minute decision to reveal both his new collection and his new album at Madison Square Garden forced two designers to reschedule their long-planned shows at New York Fashion Week in order to avoid timing conflicts.
Rihanna's Friday night runway for her collaboration with Puma will undoubtedly drown out most coverage of smaller designers that day. Even Saint Laurent's presentation at Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium was intended to capitalise on the many musicians in town for the Grammy's just five days later, putting an inevitable speed bump in the NYFW schedule on the eve of its first shows.
Kanye West's Yeezy Season 2 runway.
All things considered, it is little wonder designers are desperately trying to reclaim control over a system that seems to have spun out of control. It’ll be interesting to see how this affects the greater fashion conversation.


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Renault Australia pondering Dacia launch, led by 2017 Duster
Renault Australia is giving renewed thought to launching the Dacia budget sub-brand in Australia in a few years time, potentially led by a next-generation version of the rugged Duster SUV due in 2016/17.
Should such an idea materialise, it could see a new brand name join the fray in Australia’s hugely competitive new car market. The cheap and cheerful Romanian products would likely be sold from dedicated Dacia dealers operating separate to Renault retail sites.
Dacia produces low-spec cars based on tried-and-true (in other words, old and superseded) Renault-Nissan architectures and as such, the company sells vehicles such as the Sandero, Logan and Duster at significantly less than equivalent-sized cars from mainstream brands.
The star of the show is the Duster, which is powered by a choice of three four-cylinder engines – 1.6- and 2.0-litre petrols and a 1.5-litre diesel unit – and measuring 92mm longer and 29mm wider than a Skoda Yeti in both front- and four-wheel-drive.
Pic: Current-model Dacia Duster.
The case to get the brand here is by no means a done deal and there are many hurdles yet to be overcome, but it is clear that stronger than expected sales in Europe in recent years mean the brand is being looked at with a revived sense of enthusiasm for Australia. Earlier last year the outlook was not so strong for the brand here.
The Romanian company, which has been owned by Renault since 1999, sold its three-millionth car in Europe earlier this month since it was relaunched in 2004. Sales in 2014 worldwide in Europe, South America and Asia are up 24.4 per cent. In the first half of the year it grew in Europe by more than 36 per cent, faster than any other brand.
“It’s fair to say that the global success of the Dacia brand, particularly the Duster, means the conversation around this vehicle at a corporate level happens quite frequently,” Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar told CarAdvice today.
While expressing caution was the key for now — Renault is on a roll, up again nearly 50 per cent this year in Australia and keen for now to focus on consolidating its range, growing its network and spreading the word a little better — Hocevar said the door for the Duster was also more open than it once was.
Pic: Dacia Sandero Stepway.
“I wouldn’t confirm that, but I would say that the likelihood of us looking at the next-generation Duster would be much greater than the view we took [originally],” he said
“And certainly we have provided feedback as to what we would need to make it work for the Australian market in terms of what the product offers, its dynamics, drivelines and engine/transmission variants, the suite of things Australians might look for in a vehicle.
“And of course what would be the right price.”
The Duster is sold in many markets outside of Europe such as Brazil and India (it is also produced in both countries, along with Romania, Russia and Indonesia) with Renault badges. In the UK it sells for about 9500 pounds at base level, about half the cost of a Nissan Qashqai.
Pic: Dacia Logan.
One thing that is for sure is that, as it stands, the Dacia range would not be sold with Renault badges like most markets outside of Europe.
“We don’t think that’s the right solution for Australia,” Hocevar said. “We think that if it was going to be brought here, it would be brought as a Dacia product, that would probably be the best thing, and that would then become an adjunct potentially to our existing dealer network and/or others.
“They’ve got a very different brand positioning and value and I think you cant muddy the waters between the two.”
Another issue is safety. The current Dacia range gets either three Euro NCAP stars (Logan, Lodgy and Duster) or four stars (Sandero). Hocevar said the next iteration of, say, the Duster, would not necessarily need five stars, considering its budget positioning.
“I don’t necessarily know if that’s going to be a necessary requirement, I think we’ve already seen a lot of automotive brands make statements about what ratings they’re targeting with specific vehicles and what rating they’re satisfied with,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot of change going on with ratings and as the ratings advance, look at new technology and its integration, as that’s being reset, I think we also have to recalibrate our expectations of what different vehicles in different categories at different price points can achieve.
“Safety is a key requirement to play in the Australian market, and we would never bring something that wasn’t considered a safe vehicle in its segment or price point.”
The comments are interesting, coming as they do just months after the facelifted Renault Megane fell foul of changing NCAP regulations by scoring a mediocre three stars. Renault was once a leader in NCAP ratings, and was the first brand to get an ANCAP five-star rating with the 2001 Laguna.

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So Mattel allowed people to vote on the 2010 Barbie dolls. Pick a career for Barbie.
Half a million votes later, the popular vote choice for Barbie is that she will be a computer engineer with a pink laptop, matching pink geek glasses, Bluetooth-enabled phone and a dress with a binary-code pattern. Oh yes, and that Barbie body.
Oh yeah, the girl fans also voted up Barbie to be a news anchor. That's an easy one. Give her a microphone and she's set.


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Niu Technologies, China's largest producer of lithium-ion electric scooters, is targeting up to $104 million in its US IPO. VC backers include GGV Capital and Future Capital Discovery Fund.
The company will offer 8.3 million American Depositary Shares (ADS) for $10.50-12.50 apiece. GGV has indicated an intention to invest $10 million in the offering. At the midpoint of the proposed range,...
Bertelsmann India Investments has earmarked USD 500m, provided by its eponymous German parent, for investment in local start-ups. The VC unit’s total deployment since its launch in 2013 is USD 285m.
UK-headquartered incubator Entrepreneur First (EF) has raised USD 158m, targeted in part at investment in Southeast Asian start-ups and expanding its reach in the region.
CDH Investments has agreed to sell New Zealand-based supplements manufacturer The Better Health Company (TBHC) to Nestlé Health Science for an undisclosed sum.
India and Southeast Asia-focused Panthera Growth Partners has reached a first close on its second fund with commitments amounting to more than half the overall target of USD 250m.


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Facebook expects to make $10bn from IPO
Facebook aims to raise about $10.6 billion in Silicon Valley’s largest IPO.
The eight-year-old social network that began as Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room project indicated an initial public offering price range of between $28 and $35 a share, which would value the company at $77 billion to $96 billion.
At the top end of the IPO range, Facebook would rival the market value of Amazon.com and Cisco, which are worth just over $100 billion, and surpass the combined market value of older technology companies HP and Dell.
The size of the IPO reflects the company’s growth and bullish expectations about its money-making potential as a hub for everything from advertising to commerce.
“We certainly haven’t ever seen a tech IPO on this grandiose a scale,” said Lise Buyer, a principal with the IPO advisory firm Class V Group.
We certainly haven’t ever seen a tech IPO on this grandiose a scale
Buyer, who worked on Google’s 2004 IPO, said the question about a company “that’s already this big and that is raising this much money is how many of the glory days of growth are in the past versus how many are ahead”.
Facebook stands to raise as much as $12 billion at the upper end of its planned range. If an over-allotment or “greenshoe” option is triggered, the company could sweep up a maximum of $13.6 billion, according to a prospectus.
Facebook is only getting about half, or $5.6 billion, of the estimated $10.6 billion that it would raise at the midpoint of its planned IPO range. About $4.9 billon will go to some existing shareholders.
Among existing shareholders, the largest seller in the IPO will be venture capital firm Accel Partners, which will make about $1.2 billion assuming the shares sell at the $31.5 mid-point. Zuckerberg is selling the next largest chunk of shares, worth a little under $1 billion.
Facebook’s stock could begin trading as soon as 18 May, according to a road show schedule obtained by Reuters.
Investors are expected to flock to the highly anticipated IPO, although there have been growing concerns about the social network’s longer-term growth and Zuckerberg’s majority control.
Facebook will trade at 13 to 16 times the revenue that GreenCrest Capital analyst Max Wolff believes it will generate this year. By comparison, Google currently trades at 5.5 to six times expected 2012 revenue, he said.
Google’s valuation was higher when it went public in 2004, though Facebook’s IPO valuation is still higher than Google’s was back then, Wolff noted.
But some observers said the rich premium was unlikely to deter investors. “People are going to be very comfortable with this valuation,” said Sam Schwerin of Millennium Technology Value Partners, which owns Facebook shares worth roughly $200 million. The firm is not selling in the IPO.
Last week, Facebook reported its first quarter-to-quarter revenue slide in at least two years, a sign that the social network’s sizzling growth may be cooling just as it prepares to go public. Some observers have also flagged the company’s lack of revenue on mobile devices such as smartphones as an area of concern.
Facebook generated the lion’s share of its $3.7 billion in revenue last year from online advertising.


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Campaign group Shechita UK has reported the Mail on Sunday to the Press Complaints Commission over an “aggressive and sensationalised” report on religious slaughter.
The group said the Mail’s article was “deeply unpleasant not only for the pejorative and mischievous editorial line but also for the way in which it deliberately misled its readers”.
In its report, the newspaper said animals were killed in “ritual ceremonies” which had been denounced as “cruel” by John Blackwell, president-elect of the British Veterinary Association.
It added that kosher meat was being used in “high street burgers” and sold to mainstream butchers, supermarkets and restaurants for non-Jewish consumers — a fact regularly acknowledged by kosher meat producers.
Shechita UK said the Mail had chosen “intentionally aggressive and partisan language” to “sensationalise” concerns. Readers commenting on Twitter said the piece was “sinister”.
Shimon Cohen, Shechita UK director, wrote to editor Geordie Greig setting out what he said were breaches of the PCC code and asking for an opportunity to “set the record straight”.
The newspaper defended its story. A spokesman said: “It is an undisputed fact that some people regard the shechita slaughter method as cruel.
“The newspaper did not express an opinion itself. We did, however, point out that the same arguments apply to halal meat.
“The article correctly stated that some kosher meat is used in meat products that are sold without being labelled as containing kosher meat. We refute any suggestion that the article was pejorative or misleading.”
The newspaper said it planned to publish a response from Mr Cohen.
Jacky Lipowicz, chairman of the Licensed Kosher Meat Traders Association, said he had found the article “absolutely disgusting”.
But he played down fears that growing pressure on shechita — particularly in the media — could spark a horsemeat-style scandal at abbatoirs.
“This is not a scandal. The non-kosher slaughterhouses hid what they were doing with horsemeat. We are open. That’s what will stop it turning out like that,” he said.


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Apple has submitted a report to the U.S. Copyright Office to urge the organization to make unlocking and jailbreaking of the phone illegal. The whiny company claims terrorists could use hacked iPhones to attack cell phone towers, and that alterations of the Exclusive Chip Identifcation number allow for anonymous calls, which according to Apple would be desirable to drug dealers.
The company has submit a report to the U.S. Copyright Office suggesting that iPhone unlocking be outlawed (and jailbreaking from the AT&T network, essentially as well as it would be impossible without unlocking) as Apple claims it threatens cell phone towers across America. Apple claims that unlocking the iPhone provides easy access to the iPhone’s BBP — the “baseband processor” software, which enables a connection to cell phone towers.
According to Apple, the BBP could then be exploited by "a local or international hacker could potentially initiate commands (such as a denial of service attack) that could crash the tower software, rendering the tower entirely inoperable to process calls or transmit data."


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Has your credit limit been inexplicably lowered lately? Well, it might not be anything personal. The problem might be with your mortgage lender. Or where you’ve been shopping. Or where you live. American Express, long rumored to judge customers based on this criteria, has admitted that it evaluates who you do business with and where you live when determining how much credit to give you, says MSNBC.
MSNBC says that a consumer whose spending limit on his Platinum Card was reduced shared the letter that Amex sent explaining their decision. Here were their reasons:
“Our credit experience with customers who have made purchases at establishments where you have recently used your card.”
“Our analysis of the credit risk associated with customers who have residential loans from the creditor(s) indicated in your credit report.”
MSNBC says the the experts they contacted confirmed that this is the first time they’ve seen these criteria as justification for a limit reduction. An American Express spokesperson said:
“We are looking at some other factors, too, in light of the economy. We are looking at consumers holding subprime mortgages (and) those living in areas where there has been a greater deterioration in home prices.”
The consumer profiled in the story says his mortgage is a fixed rate loan from Countrywide (now Bank of America) and that he uses the card to to charge travel expenses that are then billed to the clients of his consulting firm.


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Ford MyKey ‘Do Not Disturb’ technology withholds incoming calls and texts
Ford US has released a new technology as part of its MyKey function that withholds incoming calls and texts and saves them for when the car is stopped. The function is primarily intended for parents and their younger drivers.
The Ford MyKey Do Not Disturb function is a technology parents can switch on during times when their kids drive the car. The function captures calls and texts so that young drivers can view them once the car is stationary.
This particular application of the technology uses Ford's Bluetooth system to retrieve the incoming calls and messages. The technology aims to reduce mobile phone-related accidents by removing the potential distractions from younger drivers.
As we know, younger drivers make up a large percentage of the world's road toll. The MyKey system also steps further towards striving for a reduction in young driver accidents by allowing parents to restrict the car's speed. Parents can program the car to never exceed a predetermined limit.
Other potential life-saving features of MyKey is the 'No belt, No tunes' function, where the audio system remains on 'mute' until front seat passengers lock in their seat belts. It can also place a restriction the audio system's volume level to a maximum of 44 per cent, and can even be programed so the traction control system cannot be turned off.
The MyKey advancements are set to be released in the Ford Fiesta in 2012, and eventually in other Ford and Lincoln models.
Ford Australia has expressed interest in adopting the technology Down Under, and is investigating the potential safety system for use on certain models. One of the main issues with bringing the technology to Australia is said to be configuring the system for local conditions and specifications.
What do you think? It is a technology you would like to see made available on your car? And do you think it could help in reducing young driver accidents?


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- 16,182 Posts
Rdio is closing down next week, releases personal archives for subscribers
Rdio is shutting down next week, but before the music service is completely removed from the Internet, they're offering users the chance to login and download an archive of their history with the Rdio.
Full story from the iMore Blog...
With the release of the new Star Wars movie go on Facebook and in the search bar type in Star Wars mBy bazn in forum Apple WatchReplies: 1Last Post: 01-03-2016, 12:06 PM
- By thomasliveshere in forum Ask a QuestionReplies: 1Last Post: 12-16-2015, 07:54 AM
- By iMore.com in forum iMore.com News DiscussionReplies: 0Last Post: 12-16-2015, 03:51 AM


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Technology is wiping out one of America's favorite pastimes...
Local malls used to be bustling hubs of activity. Folks would come for an enjoyable shopping experience – and stay to hang out with their friends.
Even before the pandemic, this trend was changing. It's easier than ever to get together without leaving your home. More and more people are comfortable communicating across the planet with the touch of a button.
And the same is true for retailers.
Features like one-click shipping and next-day delivery changed the online-shopping game... And for many traditional brick-and-mortar stores, COVID-19 was the last straw.
Companies that offer high-end or unique shopping excursions have fared better than most. The companies that have truly struggled are those that offer low-frills, high-value experiences.
Kohl's (KSS) is the poster child for the no-frills shopping era...
The department-store chain has struggled in recent years. And this has shown up in its profitability. Its Uniform return on assets ("ROA") has steadily declined from 10% in 2013 to less than 2% last year.
Now, it seems like Kohl's is finally ready to take drastic action.
Management knew it had to make some changes. It has tried – and failed – to keep up with the times. It revamped its website and developed a phone app. But these efforts were just too little, too late.
In recent years, activist investors have targeted the company. They've pushed for Kohl's to spin off its online business... or to sell completely.
Kohl's fought off these activists at first. But recently, the company admitted it was time to consider a sale. It even started bringing on investment banks.
Those preparations led to an offer from Franchise Group (FRG) for $60 per share. That's nearly a 60% premium from today's price.
Franchise Group buys struggling retailers and tries to turn them around. It owns The Vitamin Shoppe and Pet Supplies Plus, along with several smaller franchises.
Franchise Group believes it can turn around these struggling businesses.
But Franchise Group knows the sale price is important...
The company is much smaller than Kohl's. Last year, its revenue was less than one-sixth of what Kohl's reported. So buying such a big company is a tall order.
That may be why Franchise Group is reconsidering. Last week, it announced it might lower its bid to $50 per share.
Kohl's stock is down significantly in recent months. But it traded above Franchise Group's current $60-per-share offer price as recently as April.
So what is Kohl's actually worth?
Experienced investors know that you can't rely on a company's past performance alone. You also need to consider how the company's future lines up with what the market thinks about it.
By utilizing our Embedded Expectations Analysis ("EEA") framework, we can see what investors expect these companies to do at a certain stock price.
At $60 per share, the market expects Uniform ROA for Kohl's to settle to around 4%. That's way less profitable than it was before 2022...
Even at $60 per share, Kohl's could be a good deal. As long as Franchise Group thinks it can get returns back above 4%, it's getting a discount.
Our EEA shows that Franchise Group can capture upside, even if Kohl's can't return to its previous highs.
On the other hand, the deal could still fall through. If Kohl's can bounce back to prior levels in the next two years like analysts expect, investors might be pleasantly surprised.
June 29, 2022


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TownPlace Suites Fresno, a Marriott hotel, in northeast Fresno has been sold to a California-based hotel group.
The sale was announced Nov. 2 by Hunter Hotel Advisors. The investment advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta represented a Los Angeles-based hospitality company in the sale. The price was not disclosed.
“There was significant interest in the hotel because of the Marriott brand and the California location,” said Danny Givertz, the firm’s senior vice president.
The 92-room hotel, built in 2000, is located just north of Herndon Avenue and Highway 41.


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Times Internet Limited (TIL) has announced that it has developed mobile applications for its flagship online music portal, Gaana.com. Gaana is now available as an application giving music lovers access to millions of songs on their mobile phones.
Some of its features include:
The website has a very pleasant interface and loads fast. The navigation is pretty smooth with user friendly tabs.
The site currently receives nearly 3 million visitors per month, who spend nearly 2.5x more time per visit than visitors of other music sites in India.
Mr Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet said that TIL intends to use Gaana on mobile as a base to build even more functions and offerings across all platforms.
The app is available for download free of cost by visiting on mobile devices, tablets and PCs from the gaana.co website or on the iTunes App Store, Google Play Store, Blackberry App World, Nokia Ovi Store, or Samsung App Store.
Smartphones have become a necessity in today's digital age. Be it browsing the web or connecting with you...


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It seems that the Apple vs Samsung patent dispute has shifted battlegrounds, moving all the way from Australia over to Europe. Apparently, a district court in Düsseldorf ruled that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet from Samsung will not be able to be sold across the whole European Union – save for the Netherlands. Funny, it seems as though the Netherlands, being one of the more liberal countries in the EU, tend to go against the grain.
Don’t you think of it as rather strange that an injunction which was issued in Germany could actually impact the whole EU? At a glance, it seems that the relevant case law does support such a stance, although it might not be the case. Here’s a crazy theory pulled out from the air – perhaps what Germany says, goes, considering how everyone else has to bow down to them being the biggest economy in the whole EU, as they have a huge say in whether to bail out other ailing EU members from their collapsing economies. What do you think of the whole situation? Will it spill over to other continents as well?
Next Story: Apple iOS 5 beta 6 coming this August 17th
- 2014-04-02: Verizon Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 Hits The FCC
- 2014-03-15: Samsung SM-T805 Could Be New Galaxy Tab Pro Device
- 2014-03-05: Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 Arriving This March 9
- 2014-02-11: Galaxy Tab 4 Specifications Allegedly Leaked
- 2014-01-16: Samsung Galaxy Tab3 Lite Announced Officially
- 2011-12-15: Samsung Galaxy Tab is "The tablet Apple tried to stop."
- 2011-09-28: iLuv announces a whole range of Samsung Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S2 accessories
- 2011-09-12: Galaxy Tab 10.1 gets FCC approval for T-Mobile
- 2011-08-03: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 delayed in Australia
- 2011-06-20: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for AT&T arrives at the FCC


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Stocks closed slightly lower on Monday as new worries around a U.S.-China trade agreement emerged.
Monday's moves came after a surge for stocks in the previous session. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both gained more than 1%. The Dow, meanwhile, rallied more than 300 points, or 1.2%.
CNBC learned through a source that China wants to have additional trade talks before signing what President Donald Trump characterized Friday as a "very substantial phase one deal." It is not clear if the additional talks will take place in Beijing or Washington, however. Bloomberg News first reported the news.
As part of phase one, China would buy between $40 billion and $50 billion in U.S. agricultural products. China also agreed to address intellectual-property concerns raised by the U.S. In return, the U.S. agreed to hold off on a tariff hike scheduled for this week.
"As many lingering questions remain, there is significant doubt this truce will hold through 2020," said Jason Pride, CIO of private wealth at Glenmede. "Likely, these issues will reappear in some form before the election, perhaps in the form of renewed tariff threats or actions targeting individual Chinese companies."
Trump said the phase one deal was a success, but China's characterization of the outcome was far more muted. Chinese state media said both sides made "substantial progress" but did not use the world "deal" when describing the outcome.
"Investors are having second thoughts about the trade deal," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities. "Even though there was a breakthrough in the talks, nothing was signed."
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday that while both sides made "substantial progress" last week, the agreement is still "subject to documentation." He also said a December tariff hike on Chinese products would go through if a deal is not reached by then.
The world's two largest economies have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of one another's goods since the start of 2018, battering financial markets and souring business and consumer sentiment.
Investors also braced for the start of the earnings season, with a slew of major banks set to report Tuesday. Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo are all scheduled to release their results from the previous quarter.
Analysts expected third-quarter earnings for the S&P 500 to have fallen 4.6% on a year-over-year basis, according to FactSet.
"It's going to be a bumpy road," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities. "We've got a tough comp from last year but also a global economic slowdown."
—CNBC's Sam Meredith and Reuters contributed to this report.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Jason Pride's title is CIO of private wealth at Glenmede.


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Business News›business strategy
5 stocks Chakri Lokapriya added in this market rout
“We have added some of the export-based companies like SRF. Second is Jubilant Ingrevia. The company is changing its profile and becoming more high margin business. It trades at about 11 times, earnings growth will be north of 20 times. Second, again in the auto pack, we have added Hero MotoCorp and TVS Motors as well as Tata Motors.”
slice appoints Amazon Pay's Bhawna Sangwan as chief legal and strategy officer
Sangwan joins the company at a critical juncture in its growth trajectory, as it expands its product offering with UPI payments and aims to become a one-stop solution for all things payments. She will be instrumental in strengthening the company’s legal and compliance function and regulatory processes in a rapidly changing market.
Focus on asset allocation in second half of 2022; inflation data to drive markets: Kunal Valia
"The domestic IT sector had seen a strong run in 2020 and 2021 and some reversal was likely given the valuation. Further, domestic IT sector witnessed margin contraction and high attrition. The selling was accentuated by the large drawdown in Nasdaq – tech-heavy index. The sector after almost 30% in CYTD may find some plateauing and offers a strong opportunity to investors."
Overweight on auto; wary about corporate capex driven banks: Nilesh Shetty
“We do not have a lot of commodities but whatever we had, we trimmed a significant portion of their weights primarily on valuations because in cyclical upturns, their valuations have started trading at premium valuations compared to their historical bands. We have trimmed that and we are waiting patiently. ”
You cannot keep on changing your strategy for every event that happens: Samit Vartak
“Every year you will have different worries. It could be inflation, slow growth, any random war or trade war or any of such things. The key is to stick to your strategy because this strategy must be something which works across different risk parameters and risk will keep on emerging, the world has become too volatile.”
Nearshoring, shrinkflation and ballooning stocks. Strategies under uncertaintyThe supply chain crisis made MSMEs realise that they have to go beyond their comfort zone to survive. Process improvement and out-of-the-box thinking are now becoming part of their DNA.
Shed old baggage; improve your portfolio quality now: Samit Vartak“New investors think that the stock which has fallen the most is probably the most attractive. But it is not necessarily so. This is the time to completely reset your thought process and see which are the stocks that will do well going forward. Forget about how much they are down by or which are the most beaten stocks in your portfolio.”
Is it the right time to turn into a buyer? Neeraj Dewan explains“In the period from now to August September, till we start getting some favourable inflation data or more correction in crude prices, we will continue to get these opportunities which should be cashed. In the short time, we have made a bottom and we may see a relief rally as we saw yesterday.”
Lendingkart makes senior appointments to lead business, data teamsIn his new role, Sonpatki will help the company scale the platform business - develop offerings, drive partnerships with banks and financial institutions in India and other emerging markets and achieve revenue growth. Padmanabhan will contribute to strengthening the data team as he will lead the team and will provide the company with robust data infrastructure to spearhead growth.
Unacademy appoints Airtel's Navneet Sharma as chief business officer - new initiatives for test prep businessIn his new role, he will be charting the growth strategy, business plan, and sales development frameworks for the new avenues that the test prep business is exploring.
Not yet time for all-out buying; opt for gradual accumulation: Deven Choksey“In some of the businesses, the correction may be overdone. The valuations have also become very attractive and that is where one will have to gradually start buying into the stocks. That could include some of the IT companies, some banks as well as NBFCs, particularly those in housing finance.”
Abhishek Basumallick on 7 sectors one can be bullish on now“Industrials, capital goods, engineering, real estate and real estate ancillaries, auto and auto ancillaries are the spaces where prices are still reasonable. The market can go up and down in the next two-three months. In the next couple of months, things may be difficult but for the Indian economy, the numbers look very solid.”
We are betting more and more on India as it is going from strength to strength: Mark Mobius“In India, we are invested in software, healthcare, basic infrastructure companies as well as companies doing tubes like Apollo Tubes. So in India, the portfolio is a little bit more varied but we are betting more and more on India because we think that India is going from strength to strength. ”
Unacademy appoints Xiaomi's Sunil Baby to lead offline operationsHe comes with over two decades of experience in managing sales and distribution in the consumer durables and telecom industry. He will report to Vivek Sinha, chief operating officer, and will be based out of the company headquarters in Bengaluru.
In this fall, every day we are buying the same high quality franchises as much as we can: Saurabh Mukherjea"We are buying every day. We are getting closer to Rs 50 crore a week and of that Rs 50 crore, roughly Rs 10 crore a day we are deploying in the various stocks that we like. Our job is to just keep a calm disposition and carry on buying great companies, especially since the macro outlook for India is the brightest I have seen for a long long time. "
Bitcoin nears MicroStrategy 'margin call' priceIf the bitcoin price dropped below about $21,000 that would trigger a "margin call" or a demand for extra capital, MicroStrategy President Phong Le said in webcast in May.
ETMarkets Smart Talk: Value emerging in capex-led sectors for long term, says Suresh Soni"In the near-term markets can and will gyrate based on news and flows but sooner than later they come back to fundamentals, i.e., corporate earnings growth and relative valuations compared to other asset classes. Leaving near-term aside, I would argue that Indian equities is well-poised from a long-term perspective given the resilience of the economy led by demographics and underlying reforms being carried out leading to improved earnings growth."
Enough opportunities in mid and smallcap from a long-term perspective: Prakash Gaurav GoelThere are specific sectors that benefit from a reasonable uptick in inflation. For example, asset owners like hotels, and malls gain as the replacement cost goes up. General insurance is another beneficiary as the ticket size increases because of inflation. Banking too stands to gain in the initial phase of an interest rate rise. At the same time, a very sharp rise in interest rate can hurt growth.
Tata companies well-capitalised, focus on future growth business: N ChandrasekaranTata Sons and group companies are well-capitalised with robust balance sheets and every major company has staged a turnaround in the last four years to contribute in a significant manner to group profits, says Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran.
We are in a severe correction in a bull market; expect 2-3 quarters of soft earnings: Dipan Mehta“Long-term investors have gone into a bit of a hiding at this point of time and although there is money to invest, that money is waiting on the sidelines waiting for some amount of improvement on the macro factors and then look at stocks which are now available at reasonable valuations. One has to deal with at least two or three quarters of soft earnings going forward.”
Why Nitin Raheja is gung-ho on financials, lukewarm on defence stocks“We have been averaging and advising all our clients to stagger their investments over the next three-six months. One of the sectors we feel very positive about is the financial sector and that is something that we have been positive about for quite some time. . I think that the valuations in that sector stack up well. ”
SaaS firm Kovai.co charts product-led growth strategy for unicorn statusThe London-headquartered company cut its teeth in the business by building products for the Microsoft ecosystem, including software for the technology leader’s Azure cloud platform, but diversified to building standalone products in segments such as knowledge base software for enterprise products.
Back to office: Companies create strategies to bring employees back to officeCompanies are starting to realise that a large portion of their employees are getting used to working from home that was started due to the Covid pandemic.
After a brutal May, are we in for a decent June? Aditya Narain has doubts“At this point, one leg of the pain from inflation has been captured. The second leg of the potential pain is out there and I will wait for that to play out before making more authoritative calls like the bottom has happened. I believe the pain from inflation can stretch a lot longer and that is why I would be a little bit more cautious about making a hard call that markets are going to bottom well before inflation pain is out.”
Godrej consumer reworks business plan with a global viewThe strategy is a shift from the earlier structure where each country had separate category teams and it will help the maker of consumer brands such as Goodknight, Hit, Cinthol and Aer cut costs through collaboration and tapping into synergies. "The strategy will fire on twin engines of category development and blockbuster innovations to achieve double-digit volume growth," he said.
Notes from Davos: Past, present, futureThis time the big draw is that it is the first in-person meeting after the once-in-a-century Covid-19 pandemic struck the world. A salute to the world which fought back so bravely against a tenacious virus. Yes, we lost so many near and dear ones.
India key to our growth strategy, says Deloitte's Global CEO Punit RenjenUnder Rohtak-born Punit Renjen, Deloitte has rapidly scaled up local market serving practice, as well as its global back offices, and continued to invest in both businesses.Load More
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According to all reports, Apple gave comments to the Copyright Office claiming that iPhones that have been “jailbroken” to allow the installation of unapproved apps pose a threat to the nation’s cell phone networks. In Apple’s response to a request to the Copyright Office by the Electronic Frontier Foundation to legalize jailbreaking. According to the filing, hackers could alter the baseband processor software in a jailbroken iPhone, causing it to crash cell tower software and interrupting service. Apple also warned that jailbreaking makes it possible for hackers to change internal ID numbers and allow anonymous calls to be made by criminals.
Apple worried that a jailbroken iPhones can be used for cyber attacks
Apple, iPhone -


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Blockchain technology has been widely recognized among the masses and in a new application of the tech, developers want to change the investment made by players to buy in-game items into assets. Wired reported:
“Companies like Andreessen Horowitz–backed Forte and Hong Kong’s Animoca, which invested in CryptoKitties last year, want to use blockchain technology to turn these ephemeral items into assets.”
Forte’s CEO Kevin Chou recently introduced the gaming community to the ‘freemium model’ and hopes to provide gamers with ‘real value on their virtual experience’. Chou said:
“Imagine a person who’s spending three or four hours a day playing a game and is plugged into the community, talking about what’s going on in their lives with their friends.”
The gaming industry enables players to buy in-game goods, however, they vanish as one leaves the game. Ripple had previously announced their support to Forte with Xpring, and now the company has announced their support for the new venture. Ripple’s official Twitter handle posted:
“There’s an exciting opportunity to leverage blockchain technology in the gaming world and we’re thrilled to support @forteplatform through #Xpring.”
Xpring has been working with Forte to embed interledger, Codius, and XRP in the platform and to maximize cross-chain interoperability, security, and liquidity. Xpring’s lead Ethan Beard, in a tweet, elucidated this new step taken by Forte and the massive opportunity for blockchain in the gaming space.
XRPL Labs has been providing developers like Wietse Wind and his team an opportunity to develop products for their ecosystem. Wind’s team recently launched XRP Payments and the team currently is working on other projects as well. Thus, it is not new for Ripple to support developers and lead the change.
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Component manufacturing drives Apple’s US job creation
Just over a year ago, component manufacturer Finisar was awarded $390 million from Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund. To expand production of a critical part of the TrueDepth camera system, introduced with iPhone X, Finisar turned an unoccupied building in Sherman, Texas into a bustling operation full of people who will supply that future business.

Johnny Jackson, a 59-year-old machine operator, is one of the company’s new employees. After almost 30 years in the shipping industry, he moved to Sherman and was hired at Finisar.

“You take an old guy like me that’s been doing one job for 27 years, and now I’m learning something new every day,” says Jackson. “The training here is tremendous — you’ll be good because you’ve been trained by people who are good.”

In 2018, Apple spent $60 billion with 9,000 American component suppliers and companies, an increase of more than 10 percent from the year before, supporting more than 450,000 jobs.

Jackson’s new job is one of 500 being created as Finisar brings the Sherman facility back online. The plant will produce vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers — or VCSELs — for Apple, powering breakthrough features of the latest iPhones and iPads, including Face ID and Animoji. VCSEL wafers are nearly as thin as a human hair and contain hundreds of layers measuring only a few atoms in thickness. They require a highly advanced and precise manufacturing operation, as well as skilled technicians with specialized training.

Finisar is just one example of Apple’s expanding investment in US job growth and manufacturing. In 2018 alone, Apple spent $60 billion with 9,000 American component suppliers and companies, an increase of more than 10 percent from the year before, supporting more than 450,000 jobs.

The touch sensitive glass for iPhone and iPad is made by Corning at a 65-year-old facility in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Cincinnati Test Systems in Ohio designed a first-of-its-kind equipment to ensure iPhone is water resistant. And Broadcom in Fort Collins, Colorado, Qorvo in Hillsboro, Oregon and Skyworks in Woburn, Massachusetts, are all making wireless communication hardware that enables global connectivity.

Since 2011, the total number of jobs created and supported by Apple in the United States has more than tripled — from almost 600,000 to 2 million across all 50 states.

Army veteran Michael Turner, 40, started as a process technician at Finisar’s Sherman facility in June. A father of two and grandfather of one, Turner is also a mentor for the AMP Program, an effort by local manufacturers to teach high school students about advanced manufacturing jobs and encourage them to explore future careers in the field.

Khan Qurashi, who was the first woman hired as an equipment engineering technician at Finisar’s Sherman plant, graduated with an associate degree in laser electro-optics in 2017. She says her new job will give her the opportunity to further develop her advanced manufacturing skills.

“I really like learning and I want to become a mechanical engineer,” says Qurashi. “And with Finisar, I can study for my degree and keep working for the company.”

As for Jackson, who has been on the job at Finisar since October, he feels like he’s been given a fresh start.

“New skills, new home, new job,” he says. “And a new outlook on life.”

Press Contact
Apple Media Helpline,firstname.lastname@example.org,(408) 974-2042


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RBI wants the Indian rupee on blockchain
A white paper published by the RBI’s research wing showcases a successful proof-of-concept study on the use of blockchain technology
Looks like all the chatter from the RBI around studying blockchain technology (BCT) in the Indian financial sector wasn’t just noise.
The RBI’s research arm, the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), has successfully concluded proof-of-concept (POC) studies using BCT for trade finance applications. This POC was run in concert with the National Payments Corporation of India, an umbrella organisation for all retail payments systems in India, and banks like SBI, HDFC, Citibank and Deutsche Bank.
Blockchain is a data structure that helps create a shared digital ledger of transactions
Blockchain is a data structure that helps create a shared digital ledger of transactions. With no central authority to regulate it, individuals can manipulate the ledger to update new transactions. Relying heavily on cryptographic components, blockchain ensures that once some data is recorded in the ledger, it is extremely difficult to manipulate or modify it. Cyptocurrencies like Bitcoin are possible because of this decentralised, shared framework, but the applications are wide ranging.
A white paper published by the IDBRT that details this study also indicates the RBI’s keenness to embrace the technology for India’s banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector. It appears that the RBI is pushing ahead relentlessly with the Indian government drive to go ‘cashless’.
We are likely to see centralised KYC, cross-border payments, loan syndication, trade finance and capital markets applications on blockchain soon
The white paper also gives an indication of the roadmap for the adoption of BCT in the BFSI sector, besides calling out that the “information sharing” aspect of blockchain will have ready applicability here. As a first step, it recommends banks set up and use BCT internally, followed by inter-bank adoption. We are likely to see centralised KYC, cross-border payments, loan syndication, trade finance and capital markets applications on blockchain soon.
A few banks have moved forward rapidly in the last few months. ICICI announced the use of blockchain for international trade and remittances in October 2016, followed by Yes Bank announcing the use of the technology for vendor financing application. A few days ago (January 9), Axis Bank announced its foray into BCT for cross-border remittances. It seems that RBI’s preferred BCT roadmap is already well on its way.
The more disruptive application of blockchain technology is likely to be its use by the RBI to digitise the Indian currency
But, the more disruptive application of BCT is likely to be its use by the RBI to digitise the Indian currency. The white paper strongly urges the RBI to consider this: “Blockchain has matured enough and there is sufficient awareness among the stakeholders, which makes this an appropriate time for initiating suitable efforts towards digitising the Indian Rupee through BCT.” If this transpires, India would join a small group of countries already exploring it, including Canada, UK, Norway and Sweden.
Today, digital transactions are just placeholder transactions that trigger a series of activities across multiple organisations to record, clear, settle and reconcile the transactions. But, when currency is digitised using blockchain, it is likely to be treated truly on par with physical cash — money changing hands means instantaneous settlement. If the RBI uses BCT to digitise the currency, it could effectively mint digital money into circulation just like physical cash today.
When currency is digitised using blockchain, it is likely to be treated truly on par with physical cash — money changing hands would mean instantaneous settlement
However, there are several concerns here. The RBI could potentially monitor and track ownership of funds and assets and their transactions at will. This is a significant loss of privacy compared to a cash-based transaction (or even current digital transactions).
Additionally, a central bank created blockchain would mean there are likely multiple versions of blockchains across countries (and perhaps countless variants of blockchains from private organisations), essentially recreating siloed global financial ecosystems. This defeats the promise of blockchain to offer a global platform that any individual would be able to have access and control.
One hopes that BCT is well thought through before we go down this path. However, the RBI’s recent record doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.
Bitcoins rally in India on the demonetisation move


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NACDS urges Senate to oppose prescription drug importation
ALEXANDRIA, Va. An organization representing the country’s retail pharmacy chains has issued a letter to the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that urges the committee to oppose the personal and commercial importation of prescription drugs.
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores issued a letter that strongly opposes an amendment to the “Affordable Health Choices Act,” which is currently under consideration by the committee. The letter, addressed to the committee’s chairman Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and ranking member Mike Enzi, R-Wy., was undersigned by NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson.
“NACDS shares the goal of reducing the cost of prescription drugs. However, we do not believe that consumer safety can be ensured in any system that allows for the personal importation of prescription medications,” Anderson wrote.
“In addition to numerous concerns about the safety and effectiveness of imported drugs, individuals who obtain prescription medications through a personal importation scheme are denied access to qualified, licensed pharmacists to consult with them about using the medications safely and effectively,” Anderson added. “At a time when Congress seeks to tackle growing healthcare costs, reduced access to counseling that helps ensure medication adherence and appropriate use could place patients’ health at unnecessary risk and increase healthcare costs. NACDS also has serious safety and operational concerns about the commercial importation of pharmaceuticals. Multiple outstanding issues remain, including how to maintain a consistent, safe and adequate supply of commercially imported prescription medications,” he added.
Anderson also urges for such alternative methods as a wider integration of medication therapy management and “generic utilization” to reduce drug expenditures. “The savings realized with generic versions of traditional pharmaceuticals can be translated to biopharmaceuticals through a sensible policy that allows pharmacists to substitute biogeneric for their brand name counterparts when appropriate,” Anderson said. “Therefore, we urge the committee to move forward with its plan to include a pathway for generic biopharmaceuticals in the Affordable Health Choices Act.”
Earlier this week, NACDS kicked off its first inaugural RxIMPACT Day in Washington, D.C., where the organization met with congressional leaders to discuss pro-patient, pro-pharmacy policies.
FTC clears J&J acquisition of Cougar Biotechnology
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. The Federal Trade Commission has given clearance to the acquisition of a biotechnology company by drug maker Johnson & Johnson.
J&J announced that the FTC had granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act with respect to J&J’s acquisition of Los Angeles-based Cougar Biotechnology.
J&J made a tender offer last month to acquire Cougar for $1 billion, or $43 per share, and Cougar’s board recommended that stockholders accept the offer. If J&J manages to acquire a majority of tendered shares, and fulfills other customary conditions, Cougar will become a subsidiary, working with J&J’s biotech division. The tender offer expires at midnight July 2.
NCPA presents drug disposal advocacy to Congress
ALEXANDRIA, Va. An organization representing the country’s independent pharmacies took its advocacy of drug disposal programs to Congress Thursday.
Speaking on behalf of the National Community Pharmacy Association, pharmacist Cheri Garvin testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security’s “Safe and Responsible Drug Disposal” hearing.
Garvin, CEO of Leesburg Pharmacy in Leesburg, Va., developed a drug disposal program for her pharmacy that the NCPA said serves as a business model that its 23,000 members can use. The organization said safe drug disposal helps prevent diversion and the contamination of drinking water that results from patients flushing unused medications down toilets.
“Patients need viable, convenient solutions when seeking to dispose of their unused medications,” Garvin said in her testimony. “Programs that allow for drop-off at multiple public locations, as well as programs that allow for patients to utilize prepaid mailers to dispose of medications, should be encouraged.”


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The two brothers, who hit the jackpot with their Shiba Inu (SHIB) investment, decided to invest their wealth in a play-to-earn metaverse game. So, what was this metaverse coin?
SHIB millionaires have this coin on their radar
Known as the “Shiba brothers,” Tommy and James had invested $7,900 in Shiba Inu (SHIB). Then these investments turned into a 9 million dollar bag. According to reports, Legends of Bezogia was developed thanks to the support of numerous crypto influencers, including Tommy and James. The brothers used the money to participate in the Bezoge Earth project, which includes a community-run, decentralized meme coin called Bezoge Earth (BEZOGE). The cryptocurrency is used in its own Meme Metaverse, the aforementioned game.
The two brothers say they believe Legends of Bezogia could be the next Shiba Inu, with a virtual world with tokenized in-game assets and a decentralized finance (DeFi) system that includes NFTs. Playing this game pays off as tokens that can then be spent on in-game assets of real value. The game is currently still in alpha testing phase ahead of PC launch, which will be followed by Android, Mac and iOS versions.
The playable characters of the game, Bezogi, are NFTs with their own characteristics that can be freely traded in markets such as OpenSea. Creatures can also be combined to create brand new Bezogies that can eventually be rare, epic or purebred. Coming to the end of the article, it is worth noting that every investor should make their investment as a result of their own research.


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The “vital few” drive all progress. Repeat it over and over again. It’s true in sports, entertainment, science, business, and anything else you can think of.
Please think about it in terms of corporations today. There are very few that can lay claim to trillion dollar valuations, which is the point. Apple and Amazon show us why it’s the point.
Consider what’s increasingly ubiquitous in the typical home: cylindrical devices that we can talk to, ask questions of, and that quite simply do so much for us. When we want to know the weather, Amazon’s Alexa reports it to us. If we want to know the name of the actor who played Captain Stubing on The Love Boat, Alexa will tell us. Eager to thank the Amazon delivery person who dropped your package off at 4 am? Alexa will handle it.
The reality for so many of us is that we can’t live without Alexa, and the copycat models that followed from other companies. Where it gets interesting is that for the overwhelming majority of our lives, we all did live without Alexa. We had no idea what we were living without, only for Amazon to lead us to an all-new way of living. At great risk.
If you doubt the risk part, ask yourself if you were “demanding” Alexa before Amazon created the Echo. See the above paragraph if you’re confused. Amazon risked billions on a hunch that users would not be able to live without what they’d long lived without. The hunch proved valid, but then as Jeff Bezos has long acknowledged, most hunches don’t pan out.
Which is why we should be so grateful when speculations about the future prove true. The simple truth is that Amazon’s successes like the Echo pay for all manner of other leaps into the unknown. So does Amazon’s valuation. That investors have put the company in rare company means Amazon can take big swings meant to lead all manner of new consumer needs. And it’s not just Amazon.
As readers are increasingly aware, Apple is releasing $3,499 headsets. Apple seems to be speculating that the future will be defined in some ways by migration outside of our existing environs. Is that even a good description of what Apple has spent billions on? It’s hard to say, and it is because Apple intends to take us somewhere we’ve never been, and once again that we’ve never asked for. The future Apple is trying to invent is realistically indescribable precisely because it’s novel.
How does Apple pay for this monumental leap that could easily flop? Through past successes. As readers can hopefully deduce, the iPhone has and will continue to fund all manner of experiments in search of what’s ahead. So will Prime, the Echo, and Amazon’s greatest leap of all: introducing us to online shopping. Were you asking for that when the 1990s dawned?
It all speaks to the extraordinary value of business dominance, and the “vital few” that begins this piece. The vital become that way by discovering consumer needs at enormous risk, and that vanishingly few expect them to discover. The reward for the rarest of rare businesses is one more or many chances to continue to lead us, not to mention that the success of the vital few exists as a lure for investment in dreamers intent on replacing at the top the businesses we presently can’t live without.
Yes, the success of companies like Amazon and Apple ensures a great deal more investment meant to improve on what’s already essential. Vital few doesn’t begin to tell the whole story.


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‘A mouthwatering finish’ was how UK magazine Decanter chose to describe the second vintage of a rosé wine made by Angelina Joli and Brad Pitt at their French vineyard.
The 2013 Miraval goes on sale in shops and restaurants worldwide from March and Decanter says the Provencal rose has a “delicate structure that deepens through the palate”.
Pitt and Joli’s 2012 vintage from the 500-hectare estate made Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines list that year, and approximately 200,000 bottles of the Hollywood stars' new vintage will be sold for circa. $20/bottle.
(Picture left shows Pitt and Joli at Cannes in 2009 - Nils Sautter/Flickr)


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WASHINGTON, November 16, 2010 – Small businesses want choice and competition in the broadband service market, according to a new government report, but unfortunately they aren’t getting either.
A report from the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy also found that there are statistically significant differences between metro and rural areas in terms of broadband speed, availability and price.
About one-third of small businesses surveyed for the report indicated a need for broadband service requiring greater capacity networks than currently exist.
Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and John Kerry, D-Mass., requested the report in 2008. Snowe sits on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and Kerry was the panel's chairman at the time he requested the report.
“I have heard from numerous small business owners from across Maine who depend on a fast and reliable broadband connection as a matter of basic business survival, but who regrettably are struggling for increased access and speed because rural areas still lack adequate broadband service,” said Snowe. “Maine is a prime example of a state where increased broadband utilization can have a dramatic impact on businesses’ ability to grow and expand by selling goods to new markets, both domestic and foreign."
The report authors recommend that the Federal Communications Commission “stay the course” on its National Broadband Plan. But there should be encouragement of small business broadband providers by supporting “unfettered access” to existing network infrastructure. They also suggested that small businesses might benefit from the creation of federal broadband incentive programs.
The report also found that metro small businesses pay an average $115 for internet service while those in rural areas pay $93. However, rural firms pay higher for the same bandwidth enjoyed by metro areas.
Additionally, DSL is the dominant small business internet connection type except for in the Northeast, where half of survey respondents have cable modem connections.
“Today’s study confirms that small businesses across Massachusetts are effectively utilizing the internet to create jobs, expand their market, and grow this economy,” said Kerry. “But it also reiterates what we’ve long known – that businesses in Western Massachusetts and other parts of the state are at a distinct disadvantage compared to businesses in big cities because fewer providers are offering less bandwidth at higher prices.”
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48th CIFF Shanghai 2021 Moves Online
By Nicholas Ledoux on
In a recent email sent out from the organizers of the China International Furniture Fair (CIFF) it was announced that the 48th edition of CIFF Shanghai has moved to online only from December 11th - 14th, 2021.
You can read the original email below.
CIFF Guangzhou and CIFF Shanghai complement each other in order to strengthen each other and to grow together.
The 48th CIFF Shanghai will be held online from December 11th - 14th 2021 (home furniture, homedecor & hometextile, outdoor & leisure furniture, office furniture, commercial furniture, hotel furniture and furniture machinery)
The 49th CIFF Guangzhou will be held in Guangzhou Pazhou from 18th - 21st March 2022 (1st phase - home furniture, homedecor & hometextile, outdoor & leisure furniture) and from 28th - 31st March 2022 (2nd phase - office furniture, commercial furniture, hotel furniture and furniture machinery & raw materials).
Choosing CIFF means choosing both the entire extraordinary Chinese market and the global furniture market!
Furniture Industry News and in depth magazine articles for the furniture retail, furniture manufacturers, and furniture distributors.
Read other articles by Nicholas Ledoux


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April News in Brief
♦ At the recent Hannover Fair, Molex announced a kit that will allow manufacturers of intelligent industrial products to implement the safety application layer needed to comply with the ODVA’s CIP Safety specification. CIP Safety provides a set of services to ensure the transportation of high-integrity data in compliance with IEC safety standards. Molex says its CIP Safety stack is the only product to support both DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP.
♦ Profibus and Profinet International (PI) has announced that 500,000 Profinet devices were bought during 2009 – 10% more than in 2008 – bringing the installed base to 2.1 million devices. The number of Profibus devices sold during 2009 was 3.1 million – 11% more than in 2008 – bringing the installed base to 31.4 million. But sales of Profisafe devices held steady at 220,000, bringing the total installed base to 850,000 devices.
♦ US-based Lanmark Controls has released software that eliminates the need to buy $500–600 PC cards to control stepper motors used in laser-marking systems. Previously, users were also limited to four predefined, hard-coded axis movements which increased the cost of rotating a part to mark it. With the WinLase LAN 5.0 software, users can send commands directly to smart motors such as IMS’s MDrivePlus device.
♦ A Danish company that has developed a technology for incorporating motors into printed circuit boards, has developed the technology further to cram more motors into a single board. PCB Motors says its new “jigsaw” stator technology allows motors to be mounted in, onto, or above, a PCB. The 20–70mm diameter motors can turn at 60–120 rpm and develop 1–70Nmm of torque.
♦ A 40-year-old harbour tour boat used in Los Angeles harbour is being retrofitted with a dual electric motor hybrid propulsion system which is expected to halve its energy use and cut its emissions by more than 95%. The 22m-long Angelena II is currently powered by two 350hp diesel engines. The $489,000 refit – thought to be the first of its type – will be paid for by the US Department of Energy.
♦ A German company Krause Parkett has developed a maintenance-free technology that generates electricity as people walk across a floor, and could be used to power small motors or wireless sensors. The system is based on piezoelectric materials in the floor that generate power when pressure is applied. The electricity generated is stored in capacitors.


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So in conclusion, Seagate now own samsung and Lacie, Western digital own Hitachi, so America and China now completely dominate the hard drive market, and customers now have a snowball’s chance in hell of a return to sensible hard drive prices.
True: Hard drives prices will probably not drop further than their 2011 historical lows (pre floods), due to material costs... But that belittles the fact that the density will continue to increase. Hence, a hard drive 3 years from now, will still go for $50-$150, but the price per GB will drom from In this article we will be looking at hard drive prices from various online retailers. Is it still expensive to buy into old mechanical storage?.07/gb to .10/tb...


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Three tech stocks to profit from disruption
Technology renders old industries obsolete, and bring new industries into existence. Professional investor Walter Price picks three tech stocks that should thrive on this disruption.
Each week, aprofessional investor tells us where he'd put his money.This week:Walter Price of the Allianz Technology Trust.
Technology is disruptive. It can render old industries obsolete, and bring new industries into existence. This has frequent and sometimes controversial consequences for the labour market, but historically, where one industry has faded, another has often emerged to take its place. The car replaces the horse, which is bad news for those involved in the care of horses, but good news for nascent industries such as motels, road-side restaurants, petrol stations.
However, it is not clear whether this will keep happening. Can the disruption wrought by Amazon on the high street, for example, be remedied by new jobs in logistics and distribution? Even though ecommerce only makes up around 10% of retail sales, it has had a profound impact on shopping malls in smaller towns across America. A similar picture is seen in other developed economies.
There are two topical examples that showcase the disruption that technology continues to cause, and perhaps offer some insight into where potential value could lie for investors. The first is the impact of autonomous driving. Many car manufacturers still haven't appreciated the long-term strength of this trend. These firms do not recognise the extent to which driverless and driver-assisted cars give a better driving experience: they are less stressful to use, there is better connectivity and they can navigate to where you want to go with ease.
This would be enough to disrupt the industry, but there is a longer-term vision for the future of cars. Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) founder Elon Musk believes that cars will become income-producing assets for their owners. When the car-owner goes to work, and doesn't need their car, the car will also go to work driving people around the city. People may pick up their neighbour's car, for example, in exchange for a fee. In this way, cars become an investment. Of course, if too many people own self-driving cars, the price will go down and it will equal out. However, if this new model were to become reality, it would turn the car industry on its head. The industry would no longer sell 100 million cars a year. Overall sales will be far lower.
The second example is in semiconductors. Historically, software from tech giants such as Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) or Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) would run on hardware from third-party chip makers. However, some of the chip makers are not reducing costs or increasing processing speeds as fast as the technology behemoths would like. So major technology groups are looking at whether they can do it better themselves, usually by buying a chip manufacturer. Google has begun designing its own chips to good effect, cutting the cost of its computing. Amazon is hoping to achieve the same result in less time. Some existing semiconductor companies will now have to add value and to recognise that they are not going to get monopoly margins.


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Novozymes’ tagline Unlocking the magic of nature has been a faithful companion to the Novozymes logo ever since the company was created seven years ago. But now Novozymes is changing its tagline, its logo, and its graphic identity to better express what the company can do and what it stands for.
The new tagline, Rethink Tomorrow, is intended to signal the way that Novozymes provides the solutions that customers and society in general will need tomorrow, and to make them more appealing to customers, partners, and opinion-makers.
One idea behind the new brand is to help Novozymes open the eyes of the world to bioinnovation, that is: Everything Novozymes makes in all of its various areas of business – enzymes, microorganisms, and biopharmaceutical ingredients.
The new brand will be launched on Novozymes’ websites and publications over the coming months.


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The June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair ended successfully on 22 June at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The Fair, which celebrates its 27th anniversary this year, featured 1,894 exhibitors from 40 countries and regions. They showcased a wide range of quality fine jewellery and jewellery-related materials in over 70,000 square metres of exhibition space.
The Fair welcomed 26,103 visitors from 117 countries and regions over its four-day run. Both exhibitor and visitor numbers are new records for the Fair.
A number of the theme pavilions, including the Gemstone, Diamond and Pearl Pavilions, were re-located this year to respond to the demand for more exhibition space.
“The growth in exhibition space is a milestone of the June Fair. By accommodating more exhibitors, the June Fair’s position as a diverse mid-year marketplace is further strengthened. The encouraging visitor figures further confirm the popularity of the Fair in international markets,” said Celine Lau, Director of Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia.
“The roughly 10-percent growth in the number of visitors from Asia compared to last year’s edition shows that the region continues to be the engine of growth for the luxury jewellery market,” she said. “The growth in the number of visitors from mainland China and India remained at double-digits this year. This proves these two markets are still robust and growing. We also noticed an increase in the number of buyers from markets outside Asia; Mexico, Tanzania and Colombia were among these markets. This illustrates development of jewellery markets in various regions.”
Below is a detailed account of the visitor numbers at the Fair from 19 to 22 June:
- The total number of unique visitors over four days reached 26,103. These visitors, from 117 countries and regions, made 48,248 visits during the Fair period.
- Hong Kong-based visitors totaled 9,332, accounting for 36 percent of the total number of visitors. The rest of the visitors, 16,771 or 64 percent of the overall total, were from overseas.
- The largest group of visitors from outside Hong Kong came from mainland China, the number recorded being 9,362. The mainland was followed by India, with 1,037; Taiwan, with 805; the Philippines, with 624; Thailand, with 608; Japan, with 511; the United States, with 440; Korea, with 421; Indonesia, with 291 and Australia, with 274.
For more information, see exhibitions.jewellerynetasia.com.


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BlackBerry Abandons Sale Process
The company confirmed the news in a release Monday – the day it had set for confirming its preliminary deal with its largest shareholder Fairfax Financial and its boss Prem Watsa.
Instead of selling itself, it is getting $1 billion from the sale of convertible debt, with Fairfax and other holders apparently betting the stock will recover.
The debt can convert into common shares at a price of $10 a share, which compares to the $9 per share Fairfax was willing to pay for the company in the deal it didn’t complete. The stock was plunging in premarket to $6.33, down 18.5%, before being halted on the news. Fairfax is buying $250 million of the bonds.
For the investors to earn big returns on the investments, apart from interest payments, they are essentially betting something will get BlackBerry shares back above $10. (The interest is 6%, a high rate in today’s world.)
That likely won’t be a new sale, given they’ve been for sale for months and are saying this morning the strategic review is over.
It won’t be the work of Thorsten Heins, either. Heins, the CEO who was hired in January of 2012 and has overseen the launch of a new phone and a sales process that have both flopped, is resigning, to be replaced at least on an interim basis by John S. Chen, a former CEO of Sybase Inc. who is joining the board.
Also being added to the board, as lead director, is Mr. Watsa, who had resigned earlier this year to explore a bid. Even as he isn’t buying the whole company, he’s apparently still among the biggest bulls on BlackBerry.
“Fairfax is a long-time supporter, investor and partner to BlackBerry and, with this investment, reinforces its deep commitment to the future success of this company,” Mr. Watsa said in a statement. “I look forward to rejoining the BlackBerry board and to working with the other directors and management team, under John Chen’s leadership, to shape the next stage of BlackBerry’s strategy and growth.”


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BARCELONA — ExoClick today announced that its customer service department has introduced a beta version of live chat to offer ad network clients a timely and convenient way to answer their queries.
The live chat platform, which is available from today, allows ExoClick clients to interact with its customer service team via an instant messaging interface within ExoClick's admin panel.
Clients can click on the Live Help icon positioned to the left of their screen and begin a conversation with the team. When the icon is green the team is available to chat. When the icon is grey live chat is offline; however users can still click the icon to complete a contact form with your questions that goes directly to customer services.
Mark Westwood, ExoClick's customer services director, said: “We are very excited about our new live chat feature as an extension of our existing 24/7 customer care. We know our clients value their time and this chat service is all about resolving queries in real time. This is part of our wider Customer Service improvement strategy which will help us to continue to deliver a superior way to assist ExoClick clients.”
Live chat is currently in beta testing over the next few weeks, so availability will be limited to a few hours from Monday to Friday, Westwood said. Once beta testing is complete, ExoClick's live chat feature will be available 24/7.
ExoClick, ranked as the 4th largest ad network in the world, serves 155 billion geo-targeted ads a month to web and mobile advertiser/publisher platforms via its proprietary software.


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Arun Athiappan, Co Founder and CEO of Ticketgoose, began the company along with Karthi Easwaramoorthy and Vasudevan Ramaswamy. Arun was an entrepreneur in the past from 1992 till 2000 and was an IT consultant for a few years before stating once again With his neighbor Karthi who was in the US for almost 15 years, Karthi had worked with very large companies such as Sun, Cisco, HP etc. Vasu who was an entrepreneur all through his life was Karthi’s classmate. The story began when Karthi had to spend one whole day of his 15 day vacation from the US to buy a bus ticket to meet Arun in Chennai. Frustrated, he called Arun to check if there was something like expedia in India for bus tickets. Realizing that nothing else was there, they decided to build one and that is how Ticketgoose began by Aug 2007.
Ticketgoose was a two sided marketplace that aggregates tickets from the operators on one side and has customers on the other side. The usual practice was that the bus operators would share the inventory(ticket availability per route) to the agents and the agents will inform the operators two to three hours ahead of the departure of the bus. The founding team was very excited that they were going to disrupt the entire industry with a new way to do business. They went with full enthusiasm to all the bus operators and began pushing the internet way of selling and getting access to a new generation of customers who will only use website as a way to buy tickets. They were doing this for a few months but found out that no bus operators were willing to sign up in-spite of a good value proposition that they offered. Arun, in a chance meeting with his friend was discussing this and realized that what the bus operators wanted was to sell tickets and not at all interested in a disruptive and a next generation technology or buyers. Arun and team repositioned their services and went back to the operators and spoke to them like they are another agent and asked them to give them a quota like they would give to another agent and that began working. Now the business began taking off and they began making money.Based on them selling better, the operators began giving them additional quota of tickets. Arun says that the lesson leant here was not to build a product that would disrupt the business models of the customers but to layer it in such a way that this product works along with the existing model. A product needs to have enormous clout and traction in the market to be able to disrupt models which no startup will have.
Arun recollects the day when the team decided to flip back to their earlier business model and no longer wanted quota of tickets but wanted to see the real time availability of tickets on the net for their subscribers to buy online. Arun realized that to be able to access the inventory real time, the operators also needed to be on a software platform into which Ticketgoose can hook into. Less than 1% of the operators were online and even the larger ones were not willing to work on the API model. Ticktgoose began building the software platform and hosted it on the cloud and began offering free of cost software to the operators so that they can go online. The product called “Vahana” enabled the operators to manage the tickets, the backend process, phone booking, manage P&L etc. Arun was surprised that only 5 to 6 operators signed up for the entire one year inspite of them giving it free. They took another decision and began charging the operators on usage model(Per month Per bus) and suddenly they got around 40 new operators within one year. When they went in and quizzed the operators on why they did not choose the free software, they were surprised that the operators had perceived the product value to be low when it is given free and equated free to unreliable and low quality products/services. Once Ticketgoose started charging, the operators felt that Ticketgoose was serious about this business and could be relied upon to provide quality support. Arun says that the second lesson the team learnt was that free products always does not mean that the product will sell well. Often the reverse could be true and the free tag can create a perception of low value among customers.
Now Ticketgoose (www.ticketgoose.com), has 80 operators on the platform and has around 4,50,000 subscribers who have used the Ticketgoose for their bus ticket booking needs. TiE has chosen Ticketgoose founders as the best upcoming entrepreneurs in the associate member category for 2013


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According to Bloomberg’s Linda Sandler Kate Moss a la Irving Penn will be auctioned off for an estimated $44,956 next month at Christie’s International. My hope is that this has more to do with the artistry of Irving Penn and less with the beauty of Kate Moss.
Kate Moss, Naked, to Star at Christie’s Photo Auction (Update1)
By Linda Sandler
April 17 (Bloomberg) — Supermodel Kate Moss will star in a London photograph auction by Christie’s International next month, including a nude portrait by Irving Penn that’s expected to fetch as much as 22,000 pounds ($43,965).
Ten pictures of Moss by artists and photographers including Chuck Close and Albert Watson are for sale in five lots, with a total top estimate of 70,000 pounds, Christie’s said. Close made daguerreotype nude studies of Moss for W magazine in 2003. Six prints made afterward will be auctioned for the first time and may fetch 20,000 pounds. Penn’s platinum print was made in 1996.
Croydon, England-born Moss, 33, is about to launch a fashion line bearing her name. Artist Lucian Freud’s painting of her, naked and pregnant, sold for 3.9 million pounds in 2005. Tabloids track her romances as closely as those of Prince William.
Fashion photos are soaring in value at auctions and art fairs and have been adopted by museums, keen to attract a celebrity-hungry public. “Face of Fashion,” a photo exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery through May 28, has a picture of Moss in an advertising poster off Trafalgar Square.
At Christie’s May 31 sale, Watson’s nude image of Moss, measuring 96 inches by 72 inches, has a top estimate of 15,000 pounds. It was shot in 1993 for German Vogue. “Kate Taken in Croydon,” a never-published 1990 print by Corinne Day, who helped to make Moss famous with her portraits for the U.K. magazine, The Face, has a high value of 6,000 pounds. It is signed by Moss and Day, Christie’s said.
Day’s 1993 image, “Kate at Home,” showing the model in a pink singlet for Vogue, has a top value of 7,000 pounds, Christie’s said.
– Joanne Molina for Second City Style


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CryptoAM: LedgerX Stress, Squares Success, and a Protocols...play
|Aug 2, 2019|| 3|
Three things you need to know:
One: LedgerX — Are they launched? Are they not?
If you’ve been paying any attention, you’re probably aware that there are, like, a million different companies trying to launch physically backed futures. Why? To be honest I’m not 100% sure. Cash settled Bitcoin futures seem…fine to me. I don’t necessarily need to actually be given a Bitcoin on the expiry of a contract. How many traditional hedge funds do you think currently trade on CME and think, when they make a bunch of money, “Actually, I would much rather be handed a Bitcoin right now.”
Regardless, there was a lot of noise when LedgerX announced that they had just beat out Bakkt, ErisX and the CME to physically backed Bitcoin futures.
That was until…this:
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) told The Block today that LedgerX does not have the necessary derivatives clearing organization (DCO) license to trade futures. Its 2017 DCO license approval permitted the clearing of swaps, not futures.
Last market insiders noted it was not clear whether the futures would go live anytime soon. There were no official rule filings about an approved futures contracts either on the LedgerX website or on the primary U.S. derivatives regulator, the CFTC website. A “derivatives specialist” named Thomas G. Thompson also tweeted yesterday: “The CFTC does not show any futures contracts certified by #ledgerX.” There was also no futures volume listed on their publicly available market data.
“Don’t see any reported trade volume either. Vaporware launch,” one industry insider questioned.
Not a great look for LedgerX — but wait, it gets better:
In response to the CFTC’s comment on lack of approval, CEO of LedgerX, Paul Chou, has taken to Twitter, alleging that the CFTC’s actions are illegal and saying he plans to sue the commission if they don’t “do the right thing.” He also alleged the CFTC previously asked LedgerX to censor its tweets. An insider told The Block that Chou has expressed concerns internally that the CFTC’s action are tied to the agency playing favorites with its competitors, including Bakkt and ErisX. Chou has not responded to an email seeking comment.
Since Chou’s tweeted comments, LedgerX press representative Ryan Gorman told The Block due to his concerns surrounding the issue that he will no longer be working with LedgerX.
Their PR person presumably didn’t want his other clients to believe he encourage this behavior and just resigned as well! Can’t be any good going on there. Not the best look for the industry when a crypto native organization threatens to sue a regulatory body over the delay of licensure.
What this means: Same old news of U.S regulation holding back advancement? Not quite sure. This is a classic start-up move, move fast and break thing. Ask for forgiveness, not permission. While these mantras may work in other industries, it’s clear that the financial regulatory bodies does not take disruptive behavior lightly. When scoping out the eventual winners of this space, it may make more sense to focus efforts on those companies that already know the ins and outs of regulation — and those that have moved slowly at the seeming expense of progress.
Two: Square’s Q2 bitcoin sales hit new record
According to the most recent Square earnings release, over $125 million worth of Bitcoin has been bought through their mobile app. This is up over 240% over the last year and almost 100% Q/Q (Q1 saw 65.5m worth of Bitcoin bought).
Kevin Rooke @kerookeSquare customers bought $125 million of Bitcoin last quarter on Cash App! That’s 5 straight quarters of *accelerating* revenue growth for Square's Bitcoin business, and 237% growth YoY. TO THE MOON 🚀 https://t.co/6A3bNtaMTF
Square is making a truly conscious push into the Bitcoin space, and the CEO Jack Dorsey has made it abundantly clear that he believes in Bitcoin. How do I know? Well, he ended the conference call by saying:
“We love you Bitcoin!”
So he hasn’t exactly been shying away from praise. In June, Square enabled BTC deposits, becoming a fully fledged BTC wallet. Also in June, Square announced that it would be hiring to independent BTC devs to work on improving Bitcoin full time.
Three: SpankChain launches SpankPay
I promise you this story is safe for work. SpankChain, the adult-industry focused blockchain initiative, announced the launch of a cryptocurrency payments platform on Wednesday called ‘SpankPay’. The platform allows companies in the adult industry to easily accept cryptocurrencies on their websites, and already has two integration partners.
SpankChain has been the company in crypto most commonly associated with the adult-industry since it raised $6 million in an ICO in 2017. Before the recent announcement the company was a standalone website for webcam performers called Spank.live, taking only 5% of performers’ revenues instead of the 50% that other webcam websites allegedly charge.
The adult industry faces a number of problems with traditional payment processors that make crypto a more natural sell for companies and individuals:
Credit card providers like Visa and Mastercard often charge companies in the industry between 5-15% to process payments on their websites. A large part of this is due to a much higher rate of chargebacks in the industry - consumers paying for the service in the moment but then not wanting this transaction to appear on their credit card. These traditional card companies try to mitigate this risk by charging consumers higher rates overall.
SpankPay however claims it will only charge 0.5% per transaction, which is lower than Visa and Mastercard charge even to some traditional businesses. Part of this is because of reduced chargebacks; once the crypto has been paid if the block is confirmed it is not possible for a consumer to request a chargeback.
Part of the larger problem is consumers’ fear about their purchasing history on adult websites becoming more visible. It’s not difficult to foresee situations where consumers would want to be more anonymous and private with their transaction history, which paying with crypto affords them.
Why it matters: SpankChain’s announcement of SpankPay is part of a larger push to increase the number of companies in the adult industry that accept crypto on their platforms. Currently only 470 adult sites, 50 webcam sites and 35 sex shops accept crypto according to a recent Coindesk documentary (less safe for work - you’ve been warned). It is not the only company looking to provide a crypto payment processing service however, with intimate.io also providing a similar option to adult websites.
SpankPay may also herald a change in SpankChain’s fortunes. Last year the company had to cut its team by over 50% in the middle of crypto winter. Regardless of how you feel about the adult industry as a whole, it’s always refreshing to see blockchain projects shipping products.
Also in the news:
Direction: Chun baby, churn. We witnessed a significant push down today, on higher than normal volume and orders. This comes after a mildly parabolic advance from 9100 - 10600. We completed a nicely formed Adam and Eve bottom, suggesting to me that we’ve put the lows behind us.
As stated previously, accumulating BTC between 8.8k and 9.6k was a good play, as it was unlikely to see levels below there based on significant buy support. Now that we’ve broken up 9.6k (and more significantly, 10.4k), I believe we will begin to reset the sideways trading between 9.8k and 10.8. I’m currently net long from 9.6k, but short term bearish based on the smackdown from 10.6k today. I do not think that sub 10k days are behind us, so be ready for that slight correction.
Moving forward, I believe the next few months of Bitcoin price action will bring along significant bullish action. We are still in a bull market, and the macroeconomic case for Bitcoin has never been stronger. This price action is likely forming the base for the next parabolic run, and I suggest you position accordingly.
What I’m reading today:
Circle (one of the most well funded companies in crypto) released a comprehensive report on the crypto industry recently. There is an absolute wealth of information here but let’s highlight some of the key part of the report about Bitcoin, Ethereum, Defi, stablecoins, and overall funding in the market:
Just 3% of miner revenue comes from transaction fees on the Bitcoin blockchain currently. With the block reward halving next year, it’s interesting to think about whether this low transaction revenue represents a long term security threat.
The reason: miners are currently rewarded for their efforts in two ways - via the block record and via transaction fees. When the block reward eventually runs out the only incentive for miners will be via transaction fees. If these transaction fees aren’t sufficient we could see a reduction in the amount of miners, potentially increasing centralization of mining which would increase the possibility of a 51% attack on the BTC blockchain.
Much of the talk has been about other smart contract platforms that have recently been released and are soon to be released. One of the questions asked by the report: These new smart contract platforms may be functionally superior to the current Ethereum 1.0 blockchain - can they eat away at Ethereum’s market share before the vastly improved Ethereum 2.0 is released?
Here’s the current state of play from a valuation perspective:
On the decentralized lending side the sum of total loans originated increased by 140% across the major protocols relative to Q1, attributed mostly to dy/dx launching its mainnet and Compound seeing significant growth. Interesting to note that Maker, while still the leading lending protocol, has seen its market share decrease 25% from 96% to 83%. Still dominant for sure but, will we see this downward trend continue?
Big winners = Tether and USDC. Despite Tether’s parent company Bitfinex having the legal book thrown at it by the NYAG it’s still by far the most dominant stablecoin by market share with 80% by itself. USDC saw its market cap increase by 48.7% during the quarter.
Big loser = Gemini Dollar. The market cap is down a whopping 75% over the quarter.
From a token offering perspective your three largest categories are Initial Exchange Offerings (IEO), Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and your Security Token Offerings (STOs). The amount raised by ICOs and STOs is significantly down, with IEOs being significantly up:
From a traditional fundraising perspective the majority of the money has gone towards three key areas - Wallets, Payments and Exchanges. Here’s the breakdown:
Thoughts on funding: How interesting is it that despite all the bad press around token sales they still contribute more in overall funding in this industry than traditional venture investing does? Even if you take out LEO ($1billion), it still looks as though token sales come out on top.
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Nothing written in CryptoAM is legal or investment advice and should not be taken as such. CryptoAM does not make any guarantee or other promise as to any results that may be obtained from using our content. No one should make any investment decision without first consulting his or her own financial advisor and conducting his or her own research and due diligence.


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